IPL 2025: Temporary player substitutions authorised for the last stretch of the season

For the tournament’s last leg, the Indian Premier League (IPL) will permit teams to sign temporary substitute players. Shortly after the Government of India carried out Operation Sindoor, the 18th edition of the Indian Premier League had to be rescheduled after a week-long break due to cross-border tensions between India and Pakistan.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will play their opening match of the 2025 Indian Premier League at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on May 17. Most foreign players will return to India for the league, although others, like Jamie Overton of the Chennai Super Kings and Jake Fraser-McGurk of the Delhi Capitals, have withdrawn for personal and national duty reasons.

IPL teams used to be limited to signing replacements in the event that a player became ill or injured before to their twelfth league stage game of the season. However, due to unanticipated events, the regulations have been modified to permit clubs to bring in temporary substitutes for the remainder of the updated season.

Will it be possible to keep the temporary replacements?

Prior to the 2026 season, temporary substitutes who joined after the IPL 2025 suspension will not be eligible for retention. The goal of the measure is to prevent teams from signing replacements for fictitious reasons rather than to circumvent the auction procedure.

“Given the non-availability of certain foreign players due to national commitments or personal reasons or any injury or illness, Temporary Replacement Players will be allowed until the conclusion of this tournament,” the league stated in a memo to franchises.

“The Temporary Replacement players selected going forward will not be eligible for retention in the subsequent year, subject to this decision. It went on to say that players who are temporary replacements must sign up for the IPL Player Auction in 2026.

The IPL also made it clear that any substitutes who were accepted before to the tournament’s suspension would still be eligible for retention for the upcoming season.

Sediqullah Atal of the Delhi Capitals, Mayank Agarwal of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, and Nandre Burger of the Rajasthan Royals are the four players who were signed before to suspension.